Brick-machine



-(No Model.)

9 Sheets-Sheet 1. C. CHAMBERS, Jr.

BRICK MACHINE.

N0. s62,2o4. Patented-May 3, 1887.

WiTNESSES:

2. t e e h S e e h s 9 L ,E sm RH Ew B MM .AM HT. om GI. d. d 0 M o W No'.362,2o4v.. Patented May 3,1887.

INVENTOR WITN ESSES (No Model.) j 9 Sheets-Sheet 3. C. CHAMBERS, Jr. BRICK MACHINE No. 362,204.` Patented May s, 1887.

l rm f 1 Q .2. Q. u n0 n u u u n n n n s. n l I\ l\ l l nl ul- 2 L--. L o-. n n u n. Q l.|| x n l| :f ll l l. IIInl... 1 m u 4 Q W T x1 INVENTOR WITNESSES:

(NovModel.) l l 9 Sheets-Sheet 4.`

C.`CHAMBERS, Jr.

BRICK MACHINE.

No. 362,204. Patented Mary-3, 1887.

I s n 's N 5 'xa i :zu im;

N r s N.-

f: 1 2S N 4 E 5l HIHIIH WlTN ESSES:

(No Model.) y 9 sheets-sheen 9v. C.' CHAMBERS, JI.

BRICK MACHINE.

No. 362204.' Patented May s, 1887.

IN1/EN 701e ATTORNEY UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

evans cHAMPERs-JR., 0F PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA.

BRICK-MACHINE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent N o. 362,204, dated May 3, 1887.

Application iled November l, 1886. Serial No. 217,671. (No model.)

To aZZ whom it may concern:

Be it known that 1 CYRUS CHAMBERS, Jr., a citizen of the United States, residing in the r:ity and county of Philadelphia, and Stateof ennsylvania, have invented certain new vand useful Improvements in Brick-Machines', of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description; reference being had to the accompanying drawings, o t; which- 4Figure 1, Sheet l, is a sectional side elevation o f the entire machine as it appears in operation. Fig. 1A is a section on line x, Fig. 1. Fig. 2, Sheet 2, is a transverse section of the temperingcase, vpugging-shatt,feed-roller, and hopper as on the' line a b, Fig. 1.' Fig. 3 is n. rear end viewof the tempering-ease, the png gingfshaft being cnt off. Fig. 4 is a plan of the hopper. Fig.,5 is a front or screw end view of thepuggingshaftand.knives in posh tion, the screw having been' removed. Fig. 6, Sheet 3, is a plan view of the pugg'ing-shaft detached, with the forci ng-screw thereon, showing two of the temperingknives'in place, the others removed. Fig. 7 is a plane diagram illustrating the relative positions occupied by the tempering-knives onsaid shaft. Fig. 8,- Sheet 4, is a. plan view of the cnt-off wheel andvitsadjnncts and connections, the box inclosing the tappet-wheel and other parts being broken away. Fig. 8^ represents one of the cutroEQWires detached. Fig. 9, Sheet 5, `is a side elevation, partly in section, of the cnt-od' wheel, wirecleaner, cam 'and lever mechanism 'for operating the side plate, and the frictionbelt tightener 'and adjnncts. Fig. 9A is a) sec tion of part of the camcasing. Fig. 10, Sheet 6, is a side outline of the tappet-wheel and nut-o' wheel, the double cani, land side plate; also the friction-belt system-1, regulating-belt,

yand off-bearing belt in dotted lines, all as seen from the side opposite tothat of Fig. 9, Sheet 6, and the casing -of the cam, tappeti-wheel, &c., removed. Fig. 1l, Sheet 7, is a plan view of the measnringpnlley, slide-plate, andndjacent parts, all the mechanismabove the line of the har of clay having been removed. Fig; 12, Sheet 8, is a side sectional elevation, as on line y y, Fig. l11, oa portion of the cnt-od' 1 wheel, the measuring-pulley, dsc., showing the relativo position of the parts at the instant the bar of clay isl completely severed.' Fig. 13,v Sheet 9, is aside elevation of atsection of the 0E-bearing frame enlarged from Fig. Land ietnrnbelt carrying pulley and bracket. Fig. 14 is a section of the olf-bearing frame as on line c d, Figs. 1 and 13. Fig. 14.-* is a section on line e f, Fig. 14, of one of the crossstays of the od-bearing-belt frame.

This invention relates to that general class of brick-making machines in which the clay is tempered within a case and forced out there= from throngha die of suitable form in a con i tinuous bar whose breadth and thickness are those of the bricks to be made, and said. bar is severed into brick lengths by means of cuts o devices adapted to that end. i.

Machines 'of this class have long been known in the United States andelsewhere as Chambers Brick-N'Iachines. Theseare shown and described in the following Letters Patent of the United States granted to me, to which reference maybe had: No. 40,221, dated October 6, 1863, wherein a rotating-knife cnt-od mechanism is,` shown; No. 207,343, dated Angust 27, 1878, and No. 275,467, dated April 10, 1883, wherein a .spiral-blade cnt-o mechanism is shown; Nos. 297,671 and 297,917, dated April 29,1S84, wherein the cntfol is a series of wires mounted on an endless moving belt inclined to and moving with the bar ofclay. Various other improvements in the construction ofthis aforesaid general class of machines have been made and patented bymein theinterval between the first and the last above mentioned Letters Patent, with the view to the'production of a brick-machine thatshonld Y approximate in entirety and detail, as nearly as could be in the light of actual experience and observation,toward perfection.

The improvements -I am now about to set forth are the result up to a recent time'ofk'eeping steadily in view the realization of this aim toward perfection. Saidimprovements re-` late more particularly to the wire cut-od' mechanism described in my aforementioned Letters Patent, Nos; 297 ,671 and 297, 917,althongh, as will appear, a number of improvements in other parts of Y the-mechanism of the machine will be hereinafter described and particularly pointed ont. y

' I'ndescribing the general construction and` `operation ofthe machinennd-.the several fea, tures and combinationsA tlintwill hereinafter form the subject of, claims, I shall, 4for .order and perspicuity, commence .with the rear part .of the machine, wherein the clay is delivered in the tempering-case,'and1proceed, as nearly as. conveniently may be, Seratim., to the forward part thereof, where the'bricks are finally conveyed into position te be taken away by the offbearers for hacking to be dried, pre.V

paratcry toy removal of the same to vt'hekilns for burning.

Referringv now tothe annexed drawings, the clay is dumped from a lsuitable platform into the temperingcase A by way ot' the-vertical.

hopper B, wherein it is .tempered by 'the spibeltis termed vthe. regulating-belt, and will be hereinafter referred to as such. The bar of clay advances beneath a wheel,G,-havi ng arms g', lthat carry at their free extremities elastic: steel bows H, such as those described in said Patents Nos.,297,671 and 297,917.v To each of shown---thatis to say, g1

ythese bows is attached a cutoff wire, w. By mechanism to be described,.the wheel is rof tated and the wires caused to he carried across the'path of the bar of clay and thereby sever. the same at rightang'les into bricks, which pass onto the off-bearing belt V. .y

I prefer to make the o per B of the form willy tapering npward, nearly square in cross-section, and with rounded corners. (See Figal, 2, 3, and 4.) Itis made square so aste 'give a large opening into the tempering-case and to correspond with the' straight side or line required by the feeding-roller B', (to be described,) and the corners yare rounded in order to prevent'th'e `clay from lodging therein, and the tapering fol-mis designed to prevent the clay,las a' whole mass,

from becoming lodged. lo the contracted nppcr end of. the hopper is secured aplate or flange, b2, -whose dimensions are sufficient ito close the .opening in thefeeding .floor or plat# form q, Fig. 2, .through which the hopper passes. f.

The first of the present improvements to be set. forth consists in placing what I term a feeding-roller, B', within the temperingcase at the side thereof immediately belowl the. hopper, in position, however, to just clear therear tempering-knives. The object and operation of this roller is to breaker cut othe connection between the 'clay lining ofthe temperiuglcase beyond the reach of the knives, and thereby prevent the clay from packingonto said lining and forming an arch that finally, as it grows, closes the bottom of the hopper, and thm Vobstructing further feeding -of the clay until the arch is broken. The tempering- .knives in their rotation force the clay against the roller; but, asithe latter is caused to turn -by the action of the devices to be described, the knives, vpassing close to thc under side of the roller, lclear ofany-clay adhering thereto. Une end of the shaft b? ofthisrollerrnns in a boxlu g',b, within-the case, and the other-end 7o extends outside the rear -wall of thetemper-- ing-case, as seen in. Figs. l'aud 3. Upon tie outer endof the shaft, Figs. 1 and 3, is aratc let-'wheel,b, which vis actuated by means ofa cam',`b"`, on the pugginglshaft D', and a bellcrank lever, bs, and pivoted'pawl b1.. It will be obvious that as the .puggingshaftA rotates 'the desired intermittent rotation ofv thexoller B will take place.

' The second improvement relates to .a pccu? So Yliar position or-arrangeinent of certain of the -tempering-knives'on the pugging-shaft,and its object isto obviate a defect iu the operation ot the horizontal fast-runningshaft in machines v of this class, wherein the knives are arranged vin' regular spiral -around the shaft, as show-nf in Letters Patent No. 297,675, dated April 29, 1884. I observed that one or morcofthe knives inl that arrangement were always under thehopper, and there had a-tendency to hold the clay up and prevent the free and uniform feed-l ing thereof; also, that when lthe Spiral made .by the position of the knives` the direction-of which spiral is the reverse "of that of the screw.

`on theendof the shaft) met at thescrew, orl

within one or two knives from the same, asy shown insaid Patent No. 297,675, 'the' knives 'adjacent to the screw forced.or jammed the clay-against the side of the loutside thread of the screw, and .thereby interfered-with the .proper vfeeding of .the clay to the screw.

I nownarrangethe'knives. 01? to C, both inclusive) at the rear or hopper end of the shaft rin the same'positions as heretoforerela-- tive to the longitudinal axis ofthe shaft; but

. instead otfollowing circumferential] y the regular spiralin regular order,- I arrange said.` knives in two rows parallel to the axis of the shaft, as shown in Fig.. 6, Sheet 3, and in the diagram, Fig. 7, same sheet whichlatter represents a plan of the periphery ofthe shaft, all the knife-sockets being consecutively num-I bered thereon, .and so far as visibleJnF-ig. 6.

roy

IIO

Fig. 5, Sheet, shows the knives'as arranged lon the shaft, looking at the end of the'latter. Said two rows of knives, instead of being ar-y ranged parallel, as shown, may, however, be setonan oblique'spiral, one'knife'sli h'tlyin advance of the other, and produce esame result, substantially, as if the rows were quite parallel. The described arrangement of the 'knivesat the hopper end allowf'th'ewholeV volume of clay descending from the hopper t0 .slide'dow'n tothe shaft after the passage `of the one row of knives apd before the arrival of the succeeding row. This greatly .facilitates the feeding of 4the clay, and with much greater uniformity than heretofore. "The other peculiarity above' alluded to in the position of the. knives rcsidesin the peculiar location o f those knives-near the'screw end of the shaft relatively t`o each other and' to the screw. It will be observed, referring to' Figs. 5, 6, .and 7, that thcknife marked C', next the screw, is

, sctjiist'infront of Vthemouth ofthe screw, so

'as to deliver the clay direct-ly therein; the second knife, C2, just in front of the first in the spiral, so as to insure the latter knife, C2, receiving 4its full complement of clay, while the third knife, C", Figs. Sand (i, is located on the' side of the shaft opposite to the second, in order to have room to move the clay over into the path made by knife C2, yet far enoughback yor behind the latter so as not to bind the clay betweenvthe knives UC"v or against the side of the screw. The'pitch or direction of the spiral of the knives is reversed, beginning with the fourth knife, instead of at the second, as heretofore, and as shown in said Patent No. 297,675. By this arrangement less power is required to run the machine, and greater uni formity is secured than has'been the case'with previous arrangements.

The third improvement pertains to the construction vof the series of rollers,v e', Fig. l, which support the regulatingbeltE with relation to thelatter. Heretofore, and asseen in my said Patent No. 297,917, the face of these rollers has been wider than the wid-th of the belt. Consequently pieces of clayand stones sometimes dropping `on the projecting ends of the rollers lodged between the same-.the rollers being always comparatively close togethercaused friction, and thereby retardation of the rollers, and sometimes bits of clay squeezed under the edge of the belt, thereby causing it to run irregularly and preventing the close adhesion of the cla-y bar to the belt, and so seriously affecting the regulatiom Inorder to remedy these defects, I Vnow make the said rollers narrower on their face than the width of the regulating-belt, as clearly shown in Fig. l, I have found a similar construction to be advantageous when appliedto the off bearing belt V, also, whereby it permits the cap-boards y (see Fig. 14) to be brought vclose to the off-,bearing belt, thereby facilitating the edging-up of the brick on the capboards by the olf-bearers7 in position to be taken away for conveyance to the hacking sheds.

The next an-dfourth improvement, which I remark is the most radical and important, relates to the devices for and pertainingto the severing of thebar of clay into brick lengths,

and is specifically an improvement upon the upon an inclined endless belt, which, being cut-off devices shown in my aforesaid Letters PatentNo. 297,671, datedApril 29, 1884. As will appear by reference to that patent, the bar of clay was cut off by means of wires secured to elastic bows mounted equidistantly driven by the mechanism therein described, carried said wires successively in continuous rotation graduallythrough the bar of clay and severed the same at right angles. into bricks. I found after some experience that this endless'- belt cut-od device, although practically successful, was in certain respects imperfect in its operation and was otherwise objectionable, whereupon I was led to devise thc coustruc- *tion which I shall now proceed to describe.

This lconsists of a wheel or hub, G, Figs.,l, 8, 9, and l0, having equidistant radial arms g', to the expanded free ends of which are bolted elastic steel bows H, whose form and function are identical with those of the bows shown and, described in my Patent No. 297,67vl-tl1at is, their forni is Ushaped with tapering sides and their function to hold `with a yielding tension the cut-off wires w. This cutoff wheel, as I term it, is secured to a studlshaft, y, journaled in a box, g", borne by a rigid standard, f, Figs. l and 9, that extends up from the framefof the regulatingbelt. The position, laterally and 4vertically,fof said cutofic wlieelwith relation to the advancing bar of clay, X, (sce Figs. l, 10, and 12,) is such that as the wheel is rotated in the properdirectionthat ofthe arrow l-the wires w, carried by the bows H, will pass across the path of the clay bar, and also at one point or stage of their movement, a short distance below the latter.v

the die in the Aend of the tempering-case is forward in a straight line, while `that o'f the cutoff is rotary across the path of theclay bar,

and as, also, owing to the varying consistency of the clay -and other'causes, the speed of the bar is no t uniform, it is necessary, in the first place, `to the production of perfectly rectangular bricks, 'that the rotary movement of the cutoff wheel shall be controlled or regulated so as to compel the cut off wires in traversing the bar of clay to pass through the same at rigbtangles; and, in the second place, it is requisite, in order to secure accurate results, that the rate of rotation of the cut-olf wheel shall correspond with the speed of the bar of clay-as the same shall vary. The means 4for securing these requirements are as follows, premising thatthe distance apart of the cutoff wires is greater than the length ofthe longest brick kthe particular machineis designed to make, or, to state it more precisely, greater than the length of a diagonal-from tire/upper corner of one end of the. brick to the lower corner of the other end of the brick: l

1 The exact length of the brick to be made is measured by the pulley' F--which I term the measuringpulley?at the forward end ofthe regulating-belt frame j, around which pulley,as previously stated, the said belt runs and propels the pulley with'a velocity in unison, so to say, with. the advancing bar ofclayrcsting upon the belt, the circumference of this pulley being the length of a brick or a-multiple of their length. In the present case it is-eq'ual to two brick lengths; hence this pulleymakes half a revolution for: each brick length. In calculating the proper diameter of said pulley I allow for the thickness ofthe belt ,and the kindof belt. A four-.ply rubber belt in bending overa pulley retains its normal length at the center-abat is to say,the half of the belt next the surface of the pulley upsets,while the" outer half stretches-so thlthalf the .thickness of the belt is to be added to the radius of the rOO pulley Ein calculating the-.circumference in- I order-to securel exact length of bricks.

' on the shaft g2 of the eut-of Wheel I place a' wheel, J', (which, lfor a purpose to be hereinalter mentioned, is also a belt -wheelf with tappets y", corresponding in number and rela- -tion to the cut-off wires on thewheel G. As

' rms-mm,

understood that the cam does not drive the tapthe shaftfa is turned by the bar of clay operatingby vits friction the regulating belt, .theL edge of. the cam engages these tappets,whereby the course of the cut-off wheel is cont-rolled,l the cam by its peculiar shape governing the rate and course of movement of the cutoff, so

that the 'wires can pass through the bar of clay only at rightangles thereto, providing, of `cou-rse, thatv it is desired lo makerectangular Yor'straight edgebricks. If Ythe ends of the bricks are to be of other configuration-that is, e ogees, rounds]z or hollows -the shape of the cam` must be-varied accordingly.

n which runs within an oil-tight and dust-proof casing, vT, is made quite heavy, so that lit will 'serve both as a ily-wheel to` maintain uniform motion andas an anvil to take up the blow of the somewhatirregular motion of the tappeti-wheel yand its adjunets, and thus relieve the bar of clay from unequal strains and the impact jars ofthe tappets. It will be pet-wheel. It simply goyernsthe necessary va-A riabilityof its rotation. The tappet-whee1 is driven in thedirectionof the arrow, liigs. 1 land 10, so as to always hold the tappet sufcientyin contact with the edge of the cam by africtionbelt, j, which passes around said wheeland around a tightener-pulley, j, and a gro'oved pulley, j, which latter is positively driven through suitable beltand gear-'connections (not shown in the drawings) intervening between it and the mainsourceof power. The rate of motion'thus imparted to the tappetwheel tends to exceed relatively that of the bar of clay, so that the tappets always have a' bearing against the cam; andasthe friction of the bar of clay upon the regulating-belt'E moves the latter and its pulley F, as alsothe .cam- J, `and as the-.cam restrains and governs the course-of the tappet, and consequently the cut-off wheel, the wires upon thelatter must sever the bar of clay atright angles, whatever be the speed of -the bar issuing from the die of the machine. As, owing 'tothe difference I in'clays or the consistency of the clay, there frequently occurs a tendency of 'thefrictionbelt to drive the tappet-wheel with greater force than is really necessary,l (owing to the fact that the positively-'driven pulley jis rotates morerapidly relatively than the bar of clay advances.) l provide the frictional-belt'device above alluded to, and also means for regulat-l 'passes aroundthetappet-wheel the frame in which the shaft As' previously stated, the tlrjction-belt J p lley J.,thence in contact with lth'e tghtener-pulley jt, and around the drving-pulleyjj". The arm j of of the tightenerpulley is journaled is attached'to a shaft,' j?, journal'ed transverselyin the main frame. To a rearward projection of said arm is secnreda spring-lieverd, terminating in a handle-piece, j9,'whichbears against an upright segment,l jm, that is fastened'to the foot of the frame. This 'piece has also attached thereto a springfnger, j, the 'end of which bears against the inside ofthe segment, (see Fig. 8, Sheet 4,) and thcdatter is clamped between the piece j9 and thesaid. finger by means of a clampscrew, j", andthns the spring-arm jisretained in the requiredposition. The function of this spring-arm is to allow for the small irregularities that may occur in the running of the belt-such, for/instance, as those caused by a piece of clay or stone getting underthebelt. Other devices for retaining the spring-arm in any desired-.position may be substituted for those described.

Theshaft of the tightenenframe also carries a hand-lever, j, which is 'intended to be used when it is necessary for the operator to ternporarily increase or diminish the friction, which is done by raising or depressing-said lever, and consequently the tightener-pulley. .The elasticity of the arm `j8 perniits this to be donelwithout freeing the same from the seg-A ment.

I remark that the measuring-pulley, with a circumference beingy a multiple of the bricks to be made, may be used in connection with other cut-oft' devices than those vabove described and referred to.

The fifth improvement relates'to the specitie construction of what I have termed the measuring-pulley F. I have found that in order to insure uniformity in' tlie speed of the regulating ,belt, and consequently the greatest accuracy of cutoff, this pulley should be straight on its face, so that its speed relative to` theniovementof .said belt shall be uniform. Such I discovered was notthe case with a crowning 'pulley; yet in order to guide the belt a crowning pulley is desirable. It is also-desirablein fact, necessary-to .a perfect cutoff by the wires that this belt shall be made to take a rounding form atthe point where the wires ually'pass through the bar of clay-beneath which point the periphery of the pulley F is located--so as vto compensate for the spring' of the wires. Therefore, in order to secure positivev accuracy infthe propulsion ot' the pulley, and also, at the same time, the belt-'guiding function, Idivide this pulley into independent sections, Fig. 11, each constituting, say, one-third of the width of the pulley, the -middle section, F, and tight on the shaftf, and the outer sec' tions, F", tapering or rounding, as shown, and runni 1g freely upon the shaft. Thus the ing the same. These are as follows, particular reference being had toligs. 1,' 9, 10, and 1t:

being 'straight faced rio ' serial number of which application is 206,291.V

' key an' arm, Z5, having 'extensions or lugs Z6l -this shaft is length of the bricks, takes an .even positive motion from the 'regulating-belt, while the loose sections take whatever speed the bolt maynnpart to them, and their rounding faces permit the 'cutoff wires to take a curve similar to that shown in Fig. 3 of my said Patent No. 297,671.

l"The sixth improvement relates to the slide- "y late 7 and mechanism foro'perating the same, whlch plate is *placed just back .of the 1neasnung-pulley, between it and the pulley 1 2' of the oftbearing belt V, as shown 'and described in a certain application for Letters Patent filed T une 26, 1886, by Elizabeth S.- Laser, adminlstratrix of Sanford NV. Laser, deceased, the

My devices are simply an improvement upon those ofsaid Laser. Said plate supports the end of the bar of clay, before and immediately after it is severed, and is caused to drop atthe proper intervals in order to allow the passage of the eut-off wires, as I shall now describe. I

Referring to `Figs. 1,' S, 9, and 12, L is the slide-plate, whose upper surface is in line with the under side of the bar of clay; lt is heldby a tilting yoke,-Z which is attached to a rock-shaft, Z2, journaled across the frame. To

small double cam, Z, (secl Fig. 9,) ou the end of theshaft f i of the measuring-pulley. cam Z'L runs in an Voil-tight and dust-proof case, T. vThe arrangement and the shape of the face of the cam are such as shown in Fig. y9- that is, it holds up the lever l, and conse- 4quently the yoke and slide-plate, whilethe brick is being cut on, and then, as it (the cam) continuesin its rotation, allows the yoke and plate to drop by gravity and thereby move away from the path of the cut-off wires-,on the rotating wheel G. This cam is' so timed that this drop' of the plate does not occur until the center of gravity of the brick is in advance of a vertical line passing through the center of the oi-bearingbelt p ulley-v, so t-hat thebrick will be carried smoothly forward upon the plateby the push of the unseveredjend of the bar behind the brick..VV

As it sometimes is necessary toadjust the height ofthe slide-plate, .I provide the following convenient means for accomplishing the same: On the shaft Z,close to the lever P, I

above and below, and a. vertical sl ot, Z, through which passesabolt, Z5, that is connected with the lever, and which, when tightened up, firmly clamps the lever and arm Ztogethcr. Through ,the-extensions? pass adjusting set-screws l,

.whose ends entend into 'slot l. Now, it is clear that when the bolt Z and the adjusting screws ZJ are slackenedhor the other correspondingly advanced, the arm will be freeto be moved independently of the levert, and if it be raised or depressed it will rotate the shaft Z2, to which it and the slideplate yoke are secured, and. therebyv raise or which slides upon it,

g connected a lever,l Z3, whose free' endis upwardly curved and extends over a' This.

one retracted and Y lower ,said plate, as may be desired; and when the desired adjustment is made by means .of 1

the set-screws,the armandlever are again bolted together, and thus, while the extent or throw ofthe lever by the cam always remains the limit of elevation of the slide.`

the same, plate maybe changedy at will.y This plate 1s used in lieu of the roller (L) show n in my said' Letters Patent No.1297,671, of April 29, 1884; "1.

but, as also stated in said Lasor application,- No. 206,291, it performs an additionalffunetion in holding backby friction the bar-of clay partially severed, so as to counteract t-he'part-V ing strain.

The seventh improvement relates to the con" struction of a device for cleaning the cut-off wires of'dirt,.roots, &c.,.which would otherwise collect thereon and'preventfa clean. cut

vod' of the clay. AThis cleaner is an' improvement upon a device for alike purpose which constitutes the subject of an application for Letters Patent iiled June 26, v1886, by Elizabeth i S. Laser, administratrix of Sanford W. Laser,

deceased, the serial number of which applicafl tion is 206,291.

My improvement shown in Figs. 8 and 9 consists of va curved arm, M, that is attached by bolts m to lugs mi, projeetinglaterally from.`

the standard f2, Jwhich supports the shaft of the cut-off wheel. Longitudinal;adjustment of the arm is secured by means of the bolts i m', that pass through slots m. Said arm carries at its free extremity va curved, inclined,

roo

and twisted plate, m, to which a strip, m5, of

india-rubber or other suitabler iiexiblematef rial, which I term the' wiper,'is'seeured by means of b'oltsn. I are below the center of vtheeutoi' wheel, andy by reason of that fact and of thetwist andinelination of said plate'and'wiper the latter Thev plate and the wiper" r always projects upward and presents'its surface radial to the center of motion 'of the wires; hence any-dirt lodging in .the wiper" is carried back and down awayfrom thewlres and slides down and is carried oft by the dirtspout, hereinafter referred to.

'As thecutowheel rotates, (in the direction of the adjacent arrow, )each ofthe wires thereon,

continuously in succession, comes into contact with the edge of the iiexible wiper, striking the same first.l at the top, and bythe time the thereby the wire has, by the friet-ion of the wire has passed beyond the lower end of the. v 12'0 wiper, been entirely freed ofthe clinging roots,

the integrity ffthecut-oif. V'l'.o the arm M is also attached an inclined dirtspout, m7, irndirt, &c.', that would otherwise interfere witlr mediately below the wiper, which spout extends transversely beyond the line ofthe cutoi and the. bar of clay.- The spout, being below the wiper and projecting beyond the perpendicular of thesanie, catches the dirt, die., as ,f

it is wipedoii" and falls from Vthe wires, and delivers the saine away from the possibility Vof contact with the bar of clay.

In the -Lasor device, above referred to, the

` '5 essary in connection with the dirt-spout in verder to carry oi thedroppings from the wires. The eighth improvement .relates to the pulleyand franje for supporting the return part: ofthe oif-bearing belt V, Figs. 1, 13, and 14;.

to and itA consists of a bifureated frame, O, se-

eared, to, the under side of the longitudinal pieces o'f the off-bearing frame by means of 'bolts o ,that pass through longitudinal slots o2. (Indicated by the dot-ted lines in Fig. 13.) Be- 15 tween the limbs of this bracket is jou'rnaled the pulley o3, which'supports the return part of the Voft-bearing belt. To the cross-piece beneath fthe pulley, which connects the two limbs of the frame,is secured a scraper, o", zo whoseedge bears against the periphery of the pulley. .The scraper is adjustable by means of the fastening-bolts o5, that pass through slots o6. It will be seen that by the described construction the pulley may be adj usted .to carry the return belt without throwing the journal- A boxes of the pulley-shaft out of line with each other, and the scraper always retains itsl adj ustment with the pulley.-

Ieretofore I have made the crossstays .3o round or arched, thebolt a passing through or under the same. I fonnd that this construction w-a's objectionable, as particles of elayalling from the belt would stick and accumulate upon said stays .until they would 3 5 build up against and interfere' with the run-r ning of theY rollers thatfsupported the belt. To obviate this I now make said stays N a vertically open frame, as shown by the vertical section, Fig. 14A', Sheet', and' Vthus the drop- 40 pings of clay are allowed to fall through.

I prefer to connect the uprights ff, which support the stringers of the frame f, that sustains the regulatingbelt, with side extensions or plates, jff, (see Fig. I,) projectingsome distance beyond the frame, so as to form steps at intervals along 4the length of said frame, which a'ord ready means for the operator ot' the machine to pass over the said frame. ,Upon 'these steps pass vertical screws'for adjusting 5o the height of the longitudinal pieces of the rolller-frame, and consequently the regulatingbe t.

I now use cut-o wires of a somewhat diierent construction than heretofore. by experiencev that when the eyes w of these wires were made round, or nearly so, as. seen in my aforesaid lLetters Patent No. 297,671, the wire would cut ott' at the point where it was bent short at the eye and where the strain 6o was greatest. In order to obviate this defect, I nowrxnake the eyes as represented in Fig. 8^, Sheet 6that is to say, I make them so that their straight converging sides form anla-cute angle, (the ends being rounded, as shown,) and so as to allow the contiguous parts of the wire to lie almost parallel with nach other, so that when, one is twisted arnaud the other the I learned bends o'r twists o f the- \vire,will be comparatively long or form a twist of comparatively great pitch. I also discovered that when the portions yo f wire were woundaro'und each other only' and subjected to a heavy strain they would untwist, the'one sliding back on the other. 'Io obviate this I irst wind the wires around each other a certain distance, say from a to b, Fig.8^, andA when near the short end I leave the long portion or lbody of the Wire straight, and then wind the remainder to2 of the short end close around the wire;` and in order to secure still greater resistance I some.- times solder the ends of the wire. ln this way I pgoduce a vcry strong eye without any very short bends at or about the points that are subject to the. heavy strains." v

Having thus described myinvention, I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patentl. The combination, with the temperingcase, pugging-shaft, and knives, of the roller B', the ratchet-wheel, the cam, and pawl and llever, substantially as'aud for the purpose specified.

2. 'Ihc com binati on, with the pugging-shaft, of the knives immediateiy beneath the delivery-opening into the temperingfcase, arranged in two opposite lines, and the knives in advance thereof` arranged 4spirally upon said shaft, substantiallyvas and vhfor the purpose specified:

3. In that class of brick-machines wherein the clay is tempered inand forced' out from a tempering-case by means of a series of knives spirally set on the -puggingsha'ft and a screw on the end'of said shaft, the first 'three' knives arra'nged'with relationgto each other and to the screw, as speoitied,.upon a spiral running in the same direction as'that oflthe'screw, and

the succeeding knives'arrange'd Von .aspiralwhose direction is in the reverse of that of the screw, all as shown, an'd'for the purpose specihed.

4. The eombination,with the regulating-belt, of the series of rollers e', having their faces o'f less width than the width of said belt, substantially as and for the purpose specitied.-

5. The combination,w.ith the off-bearing belt and its frame, having its cap-boards close to said belt, of the rollers e', having their faces of less width than the width of said'belt, substantially as and for the purposes specied.

6. In a brick-machine of the class recited, the combination, with the regulating-belt, the

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cutoff device, and the mechanism for driving the same, of the rotating cam for determining the movement of the cut-ott' wheel,` together with the measuring-pulley F, having its'cireumference, plus that oi' the middle line of said belt, equal to the length of the bricks to be cut .off from the bar of clay or a multiple thereof, substantially as and for thepurpose set forth;

t 7. In a brick-machine of the class recited, the .combination of the rotatable wheel journafed abovethe continuously-moving bar of clay, the series of transverse cut-oit wires fixed to the periphery of said wheel, so as to successiveiy cross the path of lthe clay bar as the wheel rotates, together with mechanism, substantially as shown, whereby said wheel is caused to rotate in the saine direction as that of the movement of clay bar'and in unison therewith, so as to sever the bar into brick iengths, substantially as and for the purpose setforth. V

8. In a brickunaehine of the class recit-cth' the combination ofthe rotating wheelhaving l transverse cutoff wires mounted thereon and arrangedto move with and across the path of the moving bar' of clay, the tappet-wheel, and the rotating cani engaging' With the tappets for determining the movement ofthe cut-oilA wheel, and thereby the movement ofthe Wires thereon through the bar of clay, substantially as and for thepurpose set fort-h. l 1 9. In'a brick-machine of the class recitedf the cutloff wheel having the radial arms and U-shaped elast-ie bows secured to and around the periphery thereof, to which the wires are adapted to be secured, substantially as and for the purposes set forth.

10. In a brick-machine ofthe class' recited, the comhinationof'the regulating-belt, the cam J, the Wheel carrying the transverse cut-oft Wires arranged and adapted to move with and across the bar of clay, the tappet-wheel Whose tapp'ets engage withl the said cam, together with the positively-driven friction-belt device for driving said tappet-wheel, all constructed and adapted 'cooperate substantially as and for purpose described.,

13. In a cut-off b1ick-macl1ine, the combination, with the endless belt running over pul leys F Il" and regulated by the moving bar -of clay thereon, the compound pulley F, composed of the middle straightfaced section fixed-to its shaft, and rounding or tapering side sections loose upon said shaft, substantially as and for the purpose described 14. In combination with the regulating-belt and the cut-eff wheel, arranged with relation 55 to each other substantially as shown and described, the compoundpulley F, composed of a middle straight-faced section fixed to the shaft,- and rounding or tapering side sections loose upon said shaft, substantially as and for 6o the purpose set forth.

15..In a wire cutoff brick-machine of the class recited, the combinatiomwit-h the cut-off wires and mechanism for moving the same with and across the path of the bar of clay, of 6 5 the slide-plate, located with relation to the bar of clay as shown, the pivoted yoke to which said plate is attached, the lever l, and the ro! tating earn Z, all constructed andadaptcd to operate substantially as and for the purpose '7o set forth. j

1G. `The combination of the slide-plate, relatively located as shown, the pivoted yoke, the lever l, the'rotatable cam Z4, and the adjustablev arm Z5, for regulating the elevation of said plate, 75 substantially as and for the purpose specified.

17. In a brick-machine of the class recited, the combination, with the clay-bar-supporting belt E, the Wire cut-off Wheel, and the Wiper, l

of the sp'outgai, arranged as shown,'so as to 8o carry offthe droppings-from the wires beyond the line oi' said belt and its supports, substantially as and for the purpose specified. l

1S. In a brick-machine of the class recited, the combinatiomwith the cut-otfwheel, of the 85 adjustable arm M, provided with the plate m, for holding a tiexible wi per, and the spoutml, whereby the said spout and the .Wiper may be adjusted together simullancously, substantially as described.

19. The returnbelt support consisting of the combination of the adjustable bifurcate'd bracket O, adaptedto be secured to the frame' upon which said belt is carried, andthe pulley journaled in said bracket, together with the 95 scraper secured thereto, substantially as and for the purpose specified.

- In testimony whereof I have hereunto affixed my signature this 23d day of October, A. D. 1886. i

5 J. H. CHAMBERS,

RICHARD W.`YERKES. 

